Two Sides of the Same Coin
by iTumnusXinXNarnia
Summary: "I don't think I could. I can't go out there; if I die, so does the voice of the people!" Three Dog tried to protest, but I cut across him, saying, "I'm just asking if you'll help me. Working together is impossible; we're like two sides of the same coin. But I do need your voice. That's it." ... And that's how Three Dog agreed to help me in my most dire hour of need.
1. Chapter One - Help

**A/N: reuploading! Enjoy :)**

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 _Chapter One - Help_

Pain radiated through me; I felt as though it was piercing my very soul. The scorching sun shone onto my bare legs and arm, and a small, visible part of my back. My lungs struggled to breathe in a sufficient amount of air, and my lips cracked painfully when I slowly opened my mouth to try and breathe deeply.

Cautiously, I lifted my head off the ground, my neck screaming in agony at the movement, but it just reminded me that I was alive; that I had survived the jump attack. Wrenching my eyes opening, the blood that had dried on my eyelids making little scratching noises, I surveyed my surroundings, afraid I would come face-to-face with a Raiders foot or, worse, a landmine.

I gasped and winced when I tried to look behind me, moving my back ever so slightly and pain rocketed through my body, causing me to flop back down the ground, waiting for the dirt to grow over me like a grave.

Instead, I waited, listening carefully. Wind whistled over the dry, deserted Wasteland and I could hear a scrap of metal flapping against concrete not far from me. In the distance, a dog barked. But one sound I was glad I couldn't hear was gun shots. Or the laughs and curses of Raiders.

I had no idea how it happened. They just ambushed me, took all my money, my weapons and my ammo before tearing off, leaving me for dead. No. Oh no, I wouldn't let them win that easily. I racked my sore head for someone I could go to.

Amata? Nah, she would never let me back into the Vault, not after what happened.

Mayor MacCready? Maybe, if I was close enough.

Sarah Lyons? I didn't even know if she was in DC anymore…

DC…

Three Dog!

The man who had my father… he would help me. There was no way he wouldn't. I mean, I hoped he would help me…

With the pain in my body making it difficult to stand, it took me a long time to move my arms to my sides… well, my left arm, at least. I realised with horror that the Raiders had broken my right arm! My shooting arm… damn! Why did this have to happen to me?!

I had been searching for the Slavers who had taken my boyfriend, Butch, and a little girl who had been travelling with us called Sapling Yew, who we had offered to take around the Wasteland with us after solemnly swearing to her aged parents, who were in charge at Oasis in the north of the Wasteland. The two had been taken by Slavers when Butch took Yew out to shoot while I was asleep…

That was eight months ago.

I was still searching for them, even now. I accepted no help; I listened to no one's advice. I really had become to _Lone Wanderer_ people had named me to be years ago. The very girl my Dad had insisted she look after herself… I had proved that to him by escaping the Vault and helping him finish Project Purity. Butch tagged along after Dad died and we took in Sapling Yew not long after.

Another gasp escaped my lips, interrupting my thoughts. The pain in my arms was growing too intense and I found myself crumpling to the ground with a small sob; I couldn't help myself. It was too much; I had never suffered this much before.

I was afraid and hurt. Those two combined with the anger I felt towards the Slavers and the worry and fear I harboured for Butch and Yew made my body begin to shake as I started to cry harder. I rolled onto my side as carefully as I could, pulled my legs up to my chest and hugged them lightly, sobbing hysterically.

This went on for quite some time; all my feelings melded together to come out of my body in the forms of shakes and tears. I couldn't even bring myself to curse, my throat and lips hurt so much. Time slowly ticked by; I had no idea how long I'd been there for when I heard a timid voice behind whisper; "Miss?"

Not caring what happened to me anymore at this point, I ignored them, though I did stop crying. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, smearing tears, blood and dirt on my sun-tanned skin. I heard footsteps approaching me and I stiffened up, thinking _please go away, please go away, I'm begging you, please go away!_

"M-Miss? Miss, you're hurt!" the person gasped and I couldn't help but notice how young they sounded… and how masculine, either.

Finally, I was able to whisper something, the first word that came to my mind…

"Help."


	2. Chapter Two - Bryan Wilkes

The kid leaned over in front of me, his face close to mine. "Miss?" he asked again. I was surprised at how young he was, and it was painful when my eyebrows rose. I winced, letting out a sharp gasp. The kid leapt away from me, looking terrified.

"M-Miss? You're hurt…" he whispered, crouching down in front of me to inspect me better. "You don't look like a raider. You look too hurt to do anyone! MISS!" he shouted when my eyes threatened to close; I knew I was on the brink of death, and this kid thought so too.

Carefully, he rolled me onto the back, stopping me whenever I gasped in pain. The ground was hot against my back and the sun nearly blinded me; I didn't have enough strength to block it out. The kid put his arms underneath my shoulders and dragged me to the nearest shade, hiding me neatly behind a piece of metal.

"I'm just going to look for something to cover you up… ok? I'll be back soon… if _they_ don't get you," the kid told me, fear evident in his eyes. He turned to run off, but I quickly caught his leg. He let out a howl of surprise.

"No, wait…" I said weakly, my grip on him already slipping, "Wait… what's your name? Your… name?" The pain became too much and I released him, pulling my hand close to my body. He watched me for a few seconds.

"Bryan," he told me, and I looked up in surprise. He… actually answered? "Bryan Wilkes is my name." Then, he did the most unlikely thing in this situation. He smiled at me. I was so stunned that my eyes widened… but the happiness blossoming inside me from his kindness took the pain away, and I smiled back.

He flashed one last grin before taking off, his footsteps fading away in the dirt.

XXX

"It's not the flashest thing on earth, but it'll do," I heard a voice call, and Bryan Wilkes came into my vision. In one hand, he carried a thick, faded blanket, one probably made from all the bits of fabric people could find after the war. He draped it over it, making sure it didn't hit me too hard.

He squatted down, peering closely at my face. "How did this happen?" he asked himself quietly. I knew he was trying to figure out how he, a small child, had managed to survive for so long while a grown woman like myself had been injured and left for dead.

I owed my life to this little kid. But he couldn't help me up on my feet. The only person close enough I could think of was…

"Miss? Do you need anything else?" Bryan inquired, sitting cross-legged beside me. He pulled the blanket up so it fit snugly around my shoulders. He brushed a bit of dirt off my face as I tried to tell him what I wanted without any pain.

Finally, my mouth managed to form the words; "Three… Dog…"

Bryan stiffened up, his eyes widening. "Three Dog?" he repeated in confusion, tilting his head, "The guy from Galaxy News Radio? You need him, or you want to listen to the station?"

I shook my head vigorously, feeling like someone was shooting me in the neck constantly. "No… not listen… Take me to him…"

Standing, Bryan walked a small distance; I knew he was looking at the Washington Monument. I had no idea why but…I trusted the kid. Something about him just screamed he wasn't a bad person. Mostly, though, I could feel the fear on him. It rolled off in waves. I wondered what he was so scared of…

"I'll take you."

I jumped violently, sending the blanket slipping to the ground. Bryan sprang toward me, fixing the blanket before sitting down beside me, taking a deep breath. "I'll take you to Three Dog," he repeated, smiling at me slightly. "I may not be strong, it might take a few days, but I can try!"

My eyes widened in surprise at the little boy in front of me, before I nodded slowly. Bryan's face lit up excitedly, his skin glowing with happiness underneath all the dirt and smudge. I guessed he hadn't seen much friendly company recently… Still, I could tell he was scared.

Tying the blanket around me so part of it sat like a hood, Bryan struggled to tug me up onto his back, but he did it a lot quicker than I expected him to. The kid was strong, I'm not gonna lie. Judging from the fact he had been completely alone when he found me, I reckoned that he had learned to fend for himself, building his strength over time.

When I was securely on his back, my arms slung over his shoulders, Bryan leant forward a little so the makeshift hood fell over my head and stopped in front of Bryan's forehead. The pain was excruciating; my breath quickened a great detail.

"Oh! I'm really sorry… I'll be gentle, I promise," Bryan told me, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. He had to be no older than twelve to be so strong… no kid younger than at least ten would've been able to even drag me, let alone pick me up and start walking.

Little Yew was eleven, but Butch had been training her well before the two were taken.

Bryan started trudging along, his tough feet ignoring sharp rocks and bits of glass and metal. The blanket managed to keep the sun off our skin, so we didn't get sunburnt. Gotta hand it to the kid, he was a smart thinker. Didn't meet many of them nowadays…

Scaling smaller areas and Metro tunnels was easy for Bryan; he just kept to the darkest places. Not once were we seen; Bryan mentioned at one point he spent a lot of time hiding from _those_ …

I wonder who… or _what_ … they were…

Bryan narrowly dodged a group of Super Mutants. Keeping my arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, he managed to climb up into an empty building, waiting in the shadows for the Super Mutants to pass. Once they were gone, Bryan was out in a second, moving against the clock to get me to Three Dog.

The pain grew worse and worse… I started hallucinating and hearing things. I spotted Butch sitting on the hood of a car, and I smiled weakly. "Hey, look, Bryan," I said breathlessly, making Bryan stop. "There's… Butch… He's over there."

I pointed at the car, but there was no one. Bryan's expression changed to one of fear. With a quickened pace, he tried not to jostle me. I starting feeling drowsy, and black spots appeared in my vision.

"Hey… Bryan? I feel so… tired…" I mumbled, my eyes starting to slide closed. Bryan shook me violently, stopping me for drifting off.

"No," he puffed, pushing open the doors to an old school. "Don't sleep, please, don't… We're nearly there, don't fall asleep…"

There was a blasting noise. Bryan threw himself to the ground, still making sure I was with him. The ground shook a little, and I heard a familiar female voice yelling, "Ohmigod, there's a kid in there! Someone get him before the whole place falls down on top of him!"

The ground shook again, and there was a crumbling noise. Everything faded into black as I heard Bryan call, "We're over here! Please! Please, help! We're over here!" His voice faded away with the blackness.


End file.
